Workshop on energy from biomass

A workshop for legislators, the business and manufacturing community, community leaders and interested citizens on the potential for producing energy and value-added products from biomass in Arkansas is set for Aug. 24 and 25 at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Little Rock.

Milo Shult, the UA system’s vice president for agriculture, said speakers will include leaders of companies now producing biofuels and other biomass products, including Cal McCastlain of Patriot Biofuels in Stuttgart, Ark.; Gary McChesney of Viceroy Acquisition Corporation (formerly Eastman Chemical) at Batesville, Ark.; and Tommy Smith of Potlatch Corporation at Warren, Ark.

The first day, Aug. 24, will begin at 2 p.m. with “Bioenergy 101, a pre-conference primer” by Ed Clausen, UA College of Engineering; Michael Popp and Matthew Pelkki, UA System Division of Agriculture; and Jim Wimberly, Winrock International.

Shult said major topics for presentations and audience discussion on Aug. 25 are biomass feedstocks, biodiesel and other biofuels, biorefineries, value-added products, economic development benefits, environmental considerations, business opportunities and state bioenergy policies.

To register for the workshop, visit http://www.uark.edu/ua/biomass/ or contact Jerry King, UA professor of chemical engineering, at (479) 575-5957 or biomass@uark.edu. A registration fee of $50 (after Aug. 7) includes a reception, lunch and workshop materials.

Shult said the workshop is partially funded by a U.S. Department of Energy grant from the Southern States Energy Board (SSEB). Other sponsors of the workshop are Agricultural Council of Arkansas; the Arkansas Department of Economic Development-Arkansas Energy Office; Arkansas Farm Bureau; the College of Engineering at UA, Fayetteville; the Poultry Federation; the UA System’s Division of Agriculture; and Winrock International.